May 2016–CHINA– The residents of the Chinese city of Kashgar were shocked to see their roads and houses disappear under the dust cloud within minutes of the storm’s arrival. Many locals began suffering breathing difficulties from the eerie ash-filled streets. The wall of sand laid a thick blanket of dust on Kashgar and plunged the city in darkness. Residents were forced to endure the severe sandstorm for hours as the choking winds swept over the entire Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, in northwest China.

Forecasters fear the catastrophic weather event will return later this week. Video clippings of a major sandstorm that swept China early this week are garnering huge hits on social media platforms. The sandstorm swept across Kashgar Prefecture in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Walls of red sand fell from as high as 100 meters over several regions that also reduced visibility to a few feet. These regions included Tumxuk City and Minfeng County in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region besides Minfeng County in Hutan Prefecture.

Local meteorological authorities issued an orange alert the second highest severity. The sandstorm lasted for four hours with strong winds, dusty weather and temperature slump. The maximum wind speed of 9.4 meters per second lowered the visibility to less than 60 meters, destroying trees and billboards along roads. –Sakship Post – Express